The Piano Man
by BlackMasquerade
Summary: One-shot Songfic. After a depressing case the team visits a local bar and Tony is convinced to play the antique piano to cheer everyone up. Based on the Piano Man by Billy Joel.


Tony DiNozzo sat at the bar of a local D.C. pub swishing the amber coloured liquid in the glass before him around and around, hoping that the whirlpool he was creating would suck his sadness in and give him comfort from his overwhelming job.

Today they had to put a 29-year-old mother of two away for killing her 28-year-old husband. The two young children now had no parents and the courts would have to decide with whom they would stay from now on.

_Sometimes,_ Tony thought to himself, _This job sucks._

"Can I getcha another drink, Tony?" Tony looked up to see Abby Scuito behind the bar.

"What are you doing back there, Abbs?" Tony said tiredly massaging his temples.

"Night job." She explained. The bell by the door rang as it opened.

The two teammates looked up to see the whole team walk in; Timothy McGee, Jimmy Palmer, Ziva David, Ducky Mallard, and Leroy Jethro Gibbs. They all took a seat at the bar and Abby poured them all drinks. They sat in complete silence.

Tony covered his face with his hands. He looked over to the far wall to see an aged baby grand piano. Ziva caught his gaze.

"Why don't you finally play me something, Tony?" she asked.

He raised his eyebrows.

Abby looked at him from behind the bar. "You play, Tony?"

"Well, kinda…"

"Oh, please play something, it would make everyone happier." Abby begged.

Tony sighed. "Might as well."

He stood with a groan and went to sit at the piano, the whole group followed him and gathered around. He thought about what to play for a moment and had an idea. He reached into his sport coat pocket and pulled out a harmonica that McGee had given him when he was being held for murder. He had managed to get it back from Agent Fornell after he had given it to him when he was freed. He tossed it to McGee.

"What...?"

"Just play along."

He put his fingers to the keys and began to play the introduction, jazzy compared to the blues to follow. McGee recognized the tune and joined in. Tony began to sing.

"_It's nine o'clock on a Saturday,_

_The regular crowd shuffles in._

_There's an old man sitting next to me,_

_Makin' love to his tonic and gin."_

He and McGee continued on and Ducky picked up the tune.

"_He says, son, can you play me a memory?_

_I'm not really sure how it goes._

_But it's sad, and it's sweet,_

_And I knew it complete,_

_When I wore a younger man's clothes._

_La la la, de de da,_

_La la, de de da da da._

_Sing us a song,_

_You're the piano man._

_Sing us a song tonight._

_Well we're all in the mood for a melody._

_And you've got us feeling alright."_

Abby began next:

"_Now Jane at the bar was a friend of mine,_

_She gets me my drinks for free._

_And she's quick with a joke,_

_Or a light up your smoke._

_But there's someplace that she'd rather be._

_She says 'Tony, I believe this' killin' me'_

_As the smile ran away from her face._

'_Well I'm sure that I could be a movie star,_

_If I could get outta this place.'_

_Oh, la la la, de de da,_

_La la, de de da da da."_

McGee put down the harmonica for a moment.

"_Now Paul is a real estate novelist,_

_Who never had time for a wife."_

Palmer finished the line:

"_And he's talking to Davy,_

_Who's still in the Navy,_

_And probably will be for life."_

McGee had put the harmonica back to his lips and the whole group was smiling. A few people who were sitting at the bar were watching them with interested, amused, drunken faces plastered on.

Ziva cut in with her stunning voice that the team had never before heard sing.

"_And the waitress is practicing politics,_

_As the businessmen slowly get stoned._

_Yes, they're sharing a drink they call loneliness,_

_But it's better than drinkin' alone."_

Tony continued on into a passionate piano solo. The team was losing its depressed mood fast with the music. McGee helped Tony usher in the chorus with the harmonica and the rest of the group, save Gibbs, sang the chorus.

"_Sing us a song, you're the piano man._

_Sing us a song tonight._

_Well, we're all in the mood for a melody,_

_And you've got us feelin' all right."_

After a spirited go from McGee and Tony, Gibbs picked up the next verse. His voice was like melted butter; warm and smooth.

"_It's a pretty good crowd for a Saturday,_

_And the manager gives me a smile._

_Cause he knows it's been me_

_They've been coming to see_

_To forget about life for a while."_

Tony smiles at the victory of getting Gibbs to sing and passionately lets the next verse fly with his fingers on the keys.

"_And the piano it sounds like a carnival,_

_And the microphone smells like a beer,_

_And they sit at the bar_

_And put bread in my jar._

_And say 'Man, what are you doin' here?'"_

The entire team joined in the finale.

"_Oh, la la la, de de da,_

_La la, de de da da da._

_Sing us a song, you're the piano man,_

_Sing us a song tonight,_

_Well we're all in the mood for a melody,_

_And you've got us feelin' all right!"_

McGee and Tony finished with a few spirited bars and the whole bar burst into applause. Ziva and Abby both hugged Tony and Gibbs clapped him on the back.

"Good work DiNozzo." He congratulated him and finished the remainder of his whisky in one swig.

"Fantastic, Anthony!" Ducky shook Tony's shoulders.

"Nice." McGee said simply, giving back the harmonica.

"You should all go home. Do something fun. We've done enough today." Gibbs said picking up his back pack and paying another bar tender for the drink. "I'll see you all on Monday." He waved and left.

The rest of the team followed suit eventually except Tony, Ziva and Abby.

Abby spent her time working and Tony and Ziva were talking about anything and everything.

"Oh my, Tony, you truly are quite funny." She recovered from a laughing spell and checked her watch to discover it was nearly one in the morning. "I must be leaving, Tony. It is quite late." She stood, hoisted her backpack onto her shoulder, left a few bills on the counter and gave Tony a quick kiss on the cheek. "I will see you Monday, yes?"

"You know it." He said in astonishment. He watched her leave and put a few bills on the bar himself. He grabbed up his bag, waved to Abby and ran out the door to catch up to his co-worker.

"Ziva!" he called after her. She stopped and turned, her bouncy curls flying about her head. "Can I walk you home?"

"Yes, you may." She said and took his offered elbow. She leaned her head on his shoulder as they walked down the street to catch the bus home.


End file.
